The present invention relates to a tilter assembly for positioning an attached user device, for example an electronic device such as a flat-screen monitor.
Some existing tilter designs use a set screw and an elongated bushing positioned around the rotating shaft of a tilter to supply pressure to the rotating shaft in order to restrict rotation of the attached user device about the rotating shaft. In the prior art devices, the frictional force supplied by the elongated bushing to the rotating shaft provides all of the force for support of the attached user device in the desired position.
A limitation of the prior art is that fine adjustments of the force supplied by the bushing to the rotating shaft, and therefore precise counterbalancing of the weight of the user device, prove to be difficult. Reliance on frictional force to support all of the weight of the attached user device causes the prior art devices to act in a jerky manner or create a creaking noise when the position of the tilter is adjusted.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tilter assembly that allows for finer adjustment of the counterbalance force applied to the attached user device, while allowing for smoother and quieter positioning of the tilter assembly. An example of a prior art tilter assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,988.